So What Can I Do, the public service weblog promoting ethics in action, presents hundreds of ways we can live as Mahatma Gandhi suggests and "Be the change you want to see in the world." This award-winning blog has been featured in the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, Positive Thinking Magazine, DarynKagan.com, Our Day to End Poverty, and numerous other print and online publications.
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Thursday, December 16, 2004

Help train service dogs

My dog, Ebony, was a wonderful companion, but she never worked as hard as a service dog. Service dogs are vitally important to people with disabilities, and include guide dogs for the blind; hearing dogs, that alert their owners to sounds; mobility assistance dogs, which may pull a wheelchair or physically support a person; and seizure alert dogs. But these dogs must be trained to do their job. Help make that happen by supporting the organizations here, either financially or by becoming a volunteer or handler.

* Canine Companions for Independence trains hearing dogs, service dogs, and assistance dogs to help people with disabilities. Support them by raising a puppy, or donating time or other resources.

* Seach Dog Foundation trains dogs to search for people who are buried alive in disaster situations. You can donate, become a handler, or become a volunteer. It costs ~$10,000 to train a FEMA-certified search dog.

* Therapy Dogs International is an organization that "provides comfort and companionship by sharing the therapy dog with the patients in hospitals, nursing homes and other institutions. This is done in a way that increases emotional well being, promotes healing, and improves the quality of life for the people being visited and the staff that cares for these people."

So if you're a dog-lover, or if you're a person-lover, consider the work of service and therapy dogs. And do what you can to support them and the people that train and depend on them for a more independent life.